How Might Wind Energy Impact Birds?

Before the Wind

Wind power is being developed at a rapid rate; however, despite recent advances in technology, the U.S. lags behind many other nations in pursuing this renewable energy resource. When our nation does surmount the political, economic, and technological obstacles to wind power, will we be ready to go full speed ahead?

The answer is no, not quite; there are ecological questions, too, that need to be addressed. Maryland's world-renowned ornithologist, Chandler Robbins, warns that certain sites favorable for wind power--such as ridge tops--are also favored by migratory birds. These birds take advantage of rising air currents, which allow them to conserve energy on their long flights. Both Maryland's Fall Line, which passes through southern Harford County, and the Appalachian Mountains are known migratory routes followed by millions of birds every spring and fall. (We are not aware of "millions" because most songbirds migrate at night.) These birds, many of which fly only a few hundred feet above the ground, are vulnerable to hitting radio towers, microwave towers, and other tall structures. Therefore, concerns have been raised about wind turbines as potential hazards for migratory birds.

Dr. Robbins has commented that ". . . the entire population of the endangered Kirtland's warbler has to fly over the central Appalachians twice a year between their Michigan breeding ground and their winter home in the Bahamas." Plans for Appalachian wind power plants in West Virginia and Maryland have made many birdwatchers and biologists nervous about probable bird losses.

What is the solution? Either redesign wind turbines so that they may operate efficiently closer to the ground, or equip them with lights and/or sounds that enable night-flying birds to avoid them. Then we have a win-win scenario: birds get to migrate without crashing into our contraptions, and we get clean, renewable energy.

The importance of researching ways to protect wildlife from our increasingly modified-by-technology world cannot be overemphasized. Let's do our homework first instead of creating new problems as we solve existing ones.

Reference Cited: Robbins, Chandler. "Of Songbirds and Windmills." Chesapeake, Winter 2002: 1-4.